Editing

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Editing

Editing is part of the final stage of the writing process in which our editors enhance your draft, and prepare it to publication standard. As well as offering a thorough proof-reading background check we also help you clarify your text and reach your market reader. Part of our editor’s job is to meet with the client, and understand what their novel or manuscript consists of. We listen to what the author wants to say.

While proof-reading skims the surface for corrections, our editor will take your entire work, and work on it from all aspects. We serve the project, the author and the reader. We marry the finer details to the larger picture. Our job as a professional editorial department is to guide your text to its destination point.

This successful process involves editing your piece as an entire concept. It also includes a more in depth approach. We make sure you have used the correct words within the context and avoid slang words. Also we check for word choice and avoid contractions in formal writing. This also involves a search for misspellings and syntax. Sentences are rearranged and spelling corrected. This allows us to delve even deeper into the text document to find any inconsistencies within. We check to avoid run on sentences, fragmented sentences and those that do not make sense.

Other inconsistencies can emerge with subsequent reading – for example – use of the dialogue quotes as ‘ and in other places as “. All of this can make for uneven reading and jagged impediments to the reader’s smooth flow of thought. Spelling errors and poor letter formation are eliminated. Casual spelling slang is corrected along with homonyms (their, there etc.) if necessary. We capitalise proper nouns, eliminate unnecessary capitals and check to ensure apostrophes are used in contractions and possessives.

We ensure the voice of the text is consistent – in the correct tense, present, past or future, and that the pronouns are correct. This can include for example typing the word ‘week end’ as two separate words and then mixing it with the word ‘weekend’ further throughout the text. This ensures we look for consistency. This means your document is polished. In some cases authors like us to get involved with restructuring their text, down-sizing paragraphs and chapters, eliminating the unnecessary. With this in mind we polish and refine what you receive and direct the text in a more progressive way. The reader is king and the editor maintains the reader’s perception of what the genre audience is looking for and how best such a text can be delivered to them.

How an editor works – in fiction – we focus on story elements, plot, characterisation, dialogue, order of scenes, point of view, setting, word choice, sentence construction, syntax and pace. Anything that can improve the strength of the manuscript. Each manuscript will go through our In-House Style Rules which show grammar, spelling and punctuation as well as layout necessary for text. We make sure your intended reader is focused on through the use of style in your writing.